Car Review: 1999 Saab 9-3 Convertible

In this world of mega-mergers gone mad, is there a place for a small, upscale, slightly mad automobile manufacturer?

That’s the position that Saab finds itself. In fact, every time I try to sum up my personal vision for the small Swedish marque, it always comes up the same. It’s the anti-Toyota.

Toyota, both as a company and in its products, tries to blend in. Look up the meaning of the word mainstream in Oxford’s latest and there’s a picture of a Camry, pristine in all its normalcy.

Saabs always stick out; in their style, their engineering and especially in the people who buy them. My fellow writer, Brian Harper, used to describe Saab drivers (in jest) as retired ski-bums turned drug dealers (or was it the other way around?). Whatever the case, the point is that they’re a unique lot, from all walks of life with the one common denominator being a rather fanatical devotion to their odd-shaped automobiles.

General Motors, being the dominant force behind Saab these days (it owns half of the company) has tried to take the marque more mainstream as of late. And in a few ways, such as build quality and interior layout, they’ve succeeded. Thankfully, in other ways Saabs, especially the 9-3 (nee the 900), remain as individual as the people who buy them.

For instance, all 9-3s are now powered by small four-cylinder turbocharged engines with mucho horsepower. Turbocharging has fallen out of vogue lately, especially since the gas crunch ended, and GM tried to get the company to move away from forced induction. But Saab’s Swedish engineers have always been fond of their frenetic, high-horsepower characteristics and for 1999 there’s only two turbocharged engines available in the 9-3 (gone are the 2.3 liter normally-aspirated four in the base car as well as the 2.5 liter V-6 that GM preferred).

There’s a 185 horsepower version of the DOHC 2.0 liter turbo four in the automatic tester I drove, as well as a slightly more potent 200 horsepower item that can only be had with the five-speed manual transmission. Both defy their small displacement with their more-than-adequate performance. And if their civility is not quite on par with the latest V-6s, they more than make up for it with excellent fuel economy. Besides, the only vibration I ever felt was at idle. Screaming along at high revs, which I did often, the double overhead cam four is as smooth as any.

I prefer the automatic to the 5-speed for two reasons. Firstly, most turbocharged cars are best equipped with autoboxes to disguise ‘turbo-lag’. As well, however, Saab’s manual transmission is occasionally quirky about downshifting. The automatic is nigh on perfect, though, with smooth shifts and quick kickdowns. In fact, my sole complaint about the drivetrain is the lack of traction control, an item noticeably absent on a car that retails for more than $50,000.

My only other complaint stems from the basic nature of convertibles. No it wasn’t the top, which worked easily and fluidly. Rather, in dispensing with the coupe’s steel roof, some of the chassis’ rigidity is left behind. The resultant wiggling over bumps is not as bad as some, but the 9-3 convertible’s frame is not as phenomenally rigid as Mercedes’ SLK or the Porsche Boxster.

But then the Saab isn’t competing with those cars. Kept in its element, the 9-3 handles rather well. And though its ride isn’t as floaty as a Cadillac’s, the 9-3 is an excellent freeway flier.

It should also prove one of the safest. New for ’99 are front-side airbags as well as active head restraints. Saab’s Active Head Restraint (SAHR) system is activated by the occupant’s weight and body movement in a rear-end collision. By sliding forward and upward, the SAHR-controlled head restraint cushions the head as it moves backward, reducing the whiplash effect. Front airbags, of course, are also standard as are anti-lock brakes.

Inside there’s also a new instrument cluster and a new audio system unit with choice of cassette or single-slot CD player, and steering wheel-mounted audio controls. It’s one of the most attractive and functional layouts I’ve tested. This is especially notable since air conditioning controls on earlier versions were diabolically difficult to operate.

The interior’s only downside is that in ‘converting’ to a convertible some rear seat hiproom has been lost as well as the trunk’s cargo capacity diminished. Again, that’s common to ragtops, but anyone looking for more trunk space should look at Toyota’s new Solara convertible.

Of course, it brings us right back to my original query and my assertion that anyone shopping a Saab 9-3 convertible wouldn’t own a Toyota on a bet.

I hope there’s room for ‘Saabness’ in our Wall Street dominated world. Love ’em or leave ’em, the world’s a better place for having Saab and its unique application of automotive art in it. I, for one, could easily imagine myself on the giving side of a one-sided diatribe as I tried to explain the benefits of my turbocharged engine to some RRSP-fixated middle-of-the-road accountant, reveling in my anti-establishment take on four-wheeled transportation.